Winemaker Notes
Deep dark color. On the nose aromas of cold chimenea, Mysore sandalwood, Dhofar incense, fresh crushed ripe strawberries, plum and candied cherry. On the palate it is voluptuous and spicy, very seductive and round with extremely soft dense tannins and long salty mineral finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very pure red with currants, blackberries and fresh leaves. Mushrooms and wet earth. Some tobacco. Cigars. Charcoal. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, silky tannins and an intense, flavorful finish. It grows on the palate with chewy yet polished tannins. Delicious. Turns to currants. Needs two or three years to soften. Better after 2023.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
China’s wine regions are spread throughout the country. In terms of volume, China ranks among the world’s top 10 wine producing nations. Interest in wine (particularly red wine) is growing here, especially among the younger generations.
China’s most lauded appellation, Helan Mountain, on the border of the popular region of Ningxia, close to the Yellow River, is known for Cabernet blends. Ningxia as well as Shanxi are at higher elevations, receive a lot of sunshine and experience large diurnal temperature variation, ideal conditions for winegrowing. The humid, eastern coastal regions of Shangdong and Hebei Province are responsible for over half of China's yearly wine production. Here the key variety of Chinese wine is called Cabernet Gernischt, which has proven to actually be Carmenere.
Though China has been producing wine from its own native varieties for 1,500 years, the Chinese wine industry didn’t gain any real inertia until the end of the 19th century when about 100 European varieties arrived. Today many international companies (Moet Hennessy, Remy Cointreau, Pernod Ricard, Torres and Barons de Rothschild) have a stake in the country’s Chinese wine scene. However, the Chinese government continues to invest, now exceeding foreign funding.